Dutch Ball Breakers

Match Review 9 , Winter Season, vs Hippos

Sanji opting to play through a hamstring strain and Chops' unexpected return against the Hippos meant the DBB had its full squad in force. The collective aura of the team gave off a prematch buzz and everybody was surprisingly early, including Heng who was permitted leave from the Khmer Rouge army.

The opening minutes typified the season at large. Posession was largely in our control with the other team being totally defensive. This combined with poor finishing contributing to our poultry scorelines against lower class opposition. It took around 5 minutes before Simon opened the scoring with an emphatic low drive. Heng scored the next from a free kick and thanks to some off the field wagering between the gambling sanctum off field, Quoc and Simon continued to drive forward and put plenty of pressure on the Hippos goalie.

Reluctantly, the injury prone Chops and Sanji subbed on with Dave for the first interchange with the prematch "I bet I concede us a goal" predictions coming true. Chops' poor defending and lack of tracking back allowed a relatively cheap shot from the side that Derek had no chance of saving. Dave got into space courtesy of a nicely weighted pass from Chops and he made no mistake with his trusty left boot, rifling home the goal. DBB went into the halftime interval with a buffer, but not a comfortable one.

The deal for $1 for every 2 goals scored reaped rewards for the team as Quoc and Simon started the second half in a flurry. Simon was maurading in midfield and upfront, tackling hard and shooting from just about anywhere and nearly scoring with his hard, punchy shots. Holding off his defenders in customary style, Quoc consistently held off two opponents and turned and also hit the woodwork on numerous occasions. The monetary incentive paid dividends as eventually, Quoc scored and Simon scored two rippers, much to the demise of Henry's hip pocket. The best of Simon's scorchers being a trademark 360 spin to turn the defender inside-out and smack a low hard left shot into the bottom corner. (See post goal celebration in Dave's pics.)

With the game sewn up, it was time for the cripples to reenter and again, some sloppy half assed running allowed their best player, Sam, to smack one and controversially scoring after hitting the crossbar. With Chops and Sanji unable to match Heng's commando stamina in midfield, it didn't take long for Henry and Heng to come on and return some much needed drive back on field. By this time it was playing for safety and only poetic justice rewarded us another goal as the failed appeal's for "inside the circle" were remarkably unheeded by the Hippos goalie. He managed to wind up to throw and ended up hitting Quoc in the back and owning himself for a most bizarre own goal.

The performance was mixed. Heng and Henry did well in midfield whilst Dave didn't get much game time for his role swap as a photographer. Without doubt Chops and Sanji played poorly and Simon and Quoc taking the lead roles for the win. A very black and white performance.

Scoreline: 8-2
Goals: Simon 3, Quoc 2, Dave 2, Heng
Man of the match: Simon (Quoc a very close second)
Dumbass award: The Hippos goalie